The Year of the Fire Horse: Why Did Births Plummet in Japan in 1966?

Japan’s Population Pyramid in 2025

The story of Yaoya Oshichi, who committed arson to try and meet the man she was infatuated with, was a favorite theme of ningyō jōruri puppet theater. Oshichi was born in the Year of the Fire Horse (1666). (Courtesy the National Diet Library)

Kikkawa Tōru’s recent book Hinoe uma (Year of the Fire Horse). (© Kōbunsha)

Projected and Actual Births in Japan

A conference in April 1954 celebrates the foundation of the Japan Family Planning Association. (© Kyōdō)

The first Japan Population Conference in 1974 adopted a declaration stating that effective measures are needed to keep population increase under control. Photograph taken on July 2, 1974. (© Jiji)